The German national team failed to reward itself for an improved performance against England. In the end, however, a positive feeling prevails.
“From a feeling point of view,” Thomas Müller told ZDF, “it was a good game” – in the end, however, the mood in the DFB camp was dampened. In the 1-1 draw against England, Germany showed a clear improvement in performance compared to the draw in Italy, but were not able to reward themselves for it.
Jonas Hofmann ensured that the first win in this Nations League season looked likely for a long time. The Gladbach player was given the opportunity to play on the right offensive side against the Three Lions and scored first from an offside position in the first half, but put the DFB team in the lead after the restart following a fine move. “Jo turned on super, I was suddenly completely free and then hit it well,” Hofmann analysed his goal after the final whistle.
Hofmann has good cards
Under Hansi Flick, the 29-year-old was often used as a right-back, and Hofmann has also been convincing in this position – he also played a decisive role in preparing the equaliser against Italy. “Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I have already played well in both positions. It’s good that the coach has the possibility to rotate,” said Hofmann, whose flexibility gives him a good chance of playing in the World Cup in Qatar this winter.
Until then, Hofmann, but also the entire German national team, still has to take a few steps forward. “If we want to get back to the top step by step, this must not happen to us,” Ilkay Gündogan addressed Harry Kane’s late equaliser. Before that, according to the ManCity player, the DFB side had “the chances to add a second or third goal. “
Flick’s focus on September
For this reason, Thomas Müller was not really happy after the final whistle either, even though Germany would have come off the pitch as winners much more often “if this game is played exactly like this ten times in a row,” said the Munich man. However, the now 114-time international did not want to let the disappointment get too big, especially as the focus is not on this competition. “We are still playing Nations League, which are friendlies packed into a tournament mode, so it is also about the feeling. “
This feeling is therefore a thoroughly positive one after the improvement in performance, but a sense of achievement is then to follow against Hungary and Italy before first going on a short holiday and then straight into the new season. “After the four games, we’ll take stock and see how far we’ve come. September will then be the month for fine-tuning, so this month is very important for us,” said Hansi Flick, already looking ahead to the final preparation phase before the World Cup in November.
